The embodiments described herein relate generally to power equipment and, more particularly, to a locking mechanism for use with power equipment.
At least some known power equipment devices are designed to be installed in a switchgear. Moreover, some switchgears include a plurality of power sources or connections to external sources, and one or more devices to detect an overcurrent and protect other electrical equipment from damage. In some applications, some devices, such as backup circuit breakers, metering devices, or protection equipment, need to be disconnected from a main circuit prior to being serviced, for example. Accordingly, at least some known switchgears include lockout and/or tagout mechanisms.
However, known carriage assemblies for circuit breakers, for example, generally use external locking mechanisms to prevent the carriage assembly from being installed or “racked in” within the switchgear to a service position. For example, at least some known circuit breaker carriage assemblies use a system of gears to facilitate inserting circuit breaker to a service position within the switchgear or to partially withdraw from the switchgear the circuit breakers to a test position. To prevent the circuit breaker from being racked in and receiving power during service, a brake may be provided that engages the gear system. Moreover, some known circuit breaker carriage assemblies use covers, such as switch covers, that prevent the circuit breaker from receiving power during service. Other known circuit breaker carriage assemblies can include a block or stopper that prevents the circuit breaker from being racked in. However, additional parts, such as brakes, covers, padlocks, and/or blocks can be lost or damaged during transport or in storage. Moreover, each of these mechanisms is external to the circuit breaker and/or the carnage assembly, which can lead to damage during use. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a locking mechanism that is internal to the carriage assembly and does not require additional separate parts.